Great Small Farm Story (live in, plantation, land)

[Maine Writer]

Greenhouses are used year round. I have lettuces and spinach in mine right now. I'm planting carrot seeds today (in to get the seed and a drink now) and more beets tomorrow. In a week or so the tomatoes and eggplant seedlings will be planted. The greens around them will act as a living mulch. I'll transplant cucumbers into the same greenhouse in about three weeks. They'll be trained to grow up twine to save space and keep them straight. The spinach will be pulled in about a month because it will be too hot in there. The lettuce will be gone by then. Today's carrots will be pulled in about 75 days and something else will be put in that place. In early October the greens that have been growing in there all summer will be pulled and tossed into the compost pile. The winter greens - lettuces, endive, kale, etc. will be planted. I'll harvest them all winter. And then it starts again this time next year.

The movable greenhouse covers four 50' plots. You can start certain greens in it now. When they're able to tolerate the cool temps the greenhouse moves forward 50' and something else is planted in plot two. When it's ready to move again it goes on to plot three. Then on to four. When four is done it moves back to plot one, two or three to provide frost protection for plants that aren't going to be carried over into winter. The winter crops are planted in an adjacent plot. Just before it's too cold for the winter plants to be outside without protection the greenhouse is moved to cover them.

The chickens and turkeys are not current. They don't have livestock or poultry right now but will again starting this year. That picture was taken on a farm he worked on in Massachusetts a long time ago. He's been farming in his current location since 1968.

It's finally sunny out bt it's very loud in the greenhouse because of the gusting wind. This is one of those days I'd rather be doing something else.

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Video presentation by Eliot Coleman & Barbara Damrosch Part I Part II

I have loved this thread! Thanks for the vidoes Maine Writer I think I may have seen that couple on a PBS show some time in the past. They are inspiring..............

[Maine Writer]

Their enthusiasm is contagious. They used to do a television show on one of the cable channels. I wish I'd known of them then and watched. They're very generous with their knowledge. When I asked him at a workshop how he did something he said, "Come on over." So we do. There are a few pics in my blog from our visit last week.

[starwalker]

I got the year round gardening book -- the original self-published version -- that I ordered from Johnnys yesterday. LOVE IT!! I have got to, somehow, get K to read it as well, even if it means a read-aloud session each evening, I think.

I love his reference to the Persephone time of the year...

[Maine Writer]

Cheese this time! Breaking the mold (http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/102528.html - broken link) in the BDN.

[bignhfamily]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Cheese this time! Breaking the mold (http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/102528.html - broken link) in the BDN.

I love cheese!

Thanks for yet another great post and link Maine Writer.

This year, for the first time, we are going to milk our brood ewes when we wean the lambs. I am hoping to make a wheel or 2 of cheese.

[msina]

who cut the cheese? Great article! I love cheeses.

[msina]

WLBZ2.com | Bangor, ME | Greenhouse In Madison To Hire 75 New Employees

Greenhouse In Madison To Hire 75 New Employees

MADISON (NEWS CENTER) -- Backyard Farms, a grower of vine-ripened tomatoes in New England, is looking for workers for its new greenhouse in Madison.

The greenhouse has been under construction since October 2008.

Backyard Farms says the facility will open this summer and expand the company to about 175 employees working on 42 acres of year-round growing space.

[HomeFarmMom]

The home farm,not named as yet, continues to boom. One of my Nigerian Dwarf goats is due today! I'm not going to hold my breath though... I've had several sleepless nights going to repeatedly geting up to go check on her. Currently we are at six goats with one more doe due after Mama. They both have kidded in the past, triplets each time for both of them. Plus we added to our flock of chickens with the addition of 12 new chicks. Six are Auracana, the other six are Buff Orpingtons. Auracanas lay blue and green eggs, making it rather exciting for the kids to gather. TTFN.

[dramamama6685]

You had me at cheese!!